P 12 - Confrontation and cooperation 1963-72

Diem

-corrupt, failed to deal with communist threat, poor treatment of monks

1963 Assassinated by military coup

Vietcong numbers

US dismissed the threat, but:

1961 - 20,000 in the south

1963 - controlled 40% rural area

1964 - 100,000

-supplied by China via Ho chi minh trail

Lyndon B Johnson

-wanted rapid victory for south without major US escalation - “Americanised”

-continued with counterinsurgency strategy

-rather expand conflict than negotiate

Policies of Johnson (2)

OPLAN 34A - 1964 - “progressive escalation of pressure to inflict increasing punishment on North Vietnam”

-increased military advisors from 16,300 to 23,000

Gulf of Tonkin resolution - AUG 1964

-US naval vessel (USS Maddox) attacked 2x at the gulf by NV

congress passed resolution

• gave President power to take any action necessary to deal with situation

• act without congress

General support to NV

-China assisting NV

-USSR sending military support

-Peoples army of Vietnam - provided troops + supplies down Ho chi Minh trail

-Vietcong strong position e.g. Saigon

US position

-ARVN low morale due to low pay, poor leadership, poor training

-rise in anti-American within the population

-US military accomplished little

Johnsons willingness for war

-no suggestion of diplomacy

-rejection for:

• UN general Thant to arrange peaceful talks

• Canada offered

• Hanoi subtly indicated for negotiation willingness

Pleiku 1964

Vietcong attacked US base Pleiku

-10 US advisors killed + 100 wounded

excuse for increased troops + bombing

Operation rolling thunder 1965

strategic bombing campaign - 864,000 tonnes

marked Americanisation of Vietnam War - escalation

aimed to:

• boost SV morale

• destroy NV structures + ho chi minh trail

• compel NV to stop aid to guerrillas in South

Types of bombing

B‑52 bombers - Delivered massive payloads

“Pineapple bombs” (anti‑personnel cluster bombs) -exploded into hundreds of metal fragments

• showed brutality of US

Napalm - Gel used to Clear jungle, destroy villages, terrorise Viet Cong supporters.

• Major cause of civilian casualties → turned global opinion against the USA.

Chemical Defoliation

Operation Ranch Hand- spraying chemical herbicides over Vietnam.

• Destroy jungle cover + crops feeding Viet Cong

Agent Orange - herbicide that destroy crops + leaves

• Long‑term cancers, birth defects, environmental destruction.

Agent Blue - herbicide that Targeted food supply rather than jungle.

• Destroy rice crops (starve Viet Cong).

• damaged Agrarian society

NV 4 point demand

-US troop withdraw from SV - following Geneva agreements

-NV and SV shouldn’t enter any military alliances with foreign powers

-settle without external interference

-peaceful reunification

Johnsons response

rejected proposal with fear of a reunified communist state

escalated involvement 18th July 1965:

• 2 marine battalions

• air squadron

• 20,000 troops

-could supply 1M tonnes of war mat every month - war of attrition in favour of US

Ia Drang Valley

1965 - first sig engagement

US 300 fatalities vs NV 2000

-NV belief of success as held position -

• “hearts and mind “ vs “body count “ - ideologies

US tactics - negatives

-anti-war movements + alienated rural pop from its actions

• MLK 1967 - anti-war speech - suggested actions undermined a “greater society”

-SV army poorly trained + badly led

North Vietnam Positives

-determined forces + respected rural peasants so had their support

-well supplied by

• China - 300,000 troops provided

• USSR

• Ho chi minh trail

weaknesses of NV tactics

-large reliance of foreign support + not guaranteed support from peasants

-economic situation couldn’t sustain a prolonged waer

Tet offensive 1968

Vietcong used decreased hostility period of Lunar new year to launch simultaneous attacks

-Giap sent some NVA to Khe Sanh - Westmoreland sent 50,000 US troops to defend but was a diversion for other attacks

• over 100+ cities attacked

• US embassy in Saigon occupied for 6H

-VC hoped for south ppl would rise against the US

Physiological defeat for US

-failure of US intelligence +NVA penetrated Saigon

-Johnsons claim of US winning seemed false

• TV presented the failures - approval fell to 36%

-suggested determination of NV + unwilling to surrender - showed escalation start ineffective

failure for Vietcong

-25,000 killed

March 1968

Johnson announced didn’t intend to stand for re-election